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The Steps
Ok, now we’re adding in some exciting parts. Enough gussets, let’s add some steps and shit. The steps are something I’ve looked forward too. The prewelded pieces are a real piece of work. Lightweight, for steel, and amazing welds and fabrication made these a lot of fun to work with. My concerns: The plate of […]
The Little Bendy Roll Cage Pieces…
I wasn’t looking forward to these pieces. I was more-or-less dreading these pieces. Why? Well, I’ve long felt that pieces numbered 6XX are holdovers from the RV-6, a plane that offered less prefabrication and required more work to fit. I could probably verify this assumption with some quick research but I’d rather just continue on […]
EP3.21 Fuselage Aft Deck
Aft Skin On!
Well, the time had come to fit the aft skins (temporarily). Fitting these skins was exciting. Fitting these skins was a pain. Alignment, for the most part, was not very difficult. The aft section was pretty straightforward. The skins resist the bend but the holding power of the clecoes makes quick work of bending them […]
Sill and Gusset Installation
Installing the sills and gussets (cabin… gussets, I guess–not the forward fuselage ones) was a lot of work, but not a lot of stress. Tight areas required the compact tungsten bucking bar (I’m not sure what you’re doing with your life if you don’t have a a few tungsten bucking bars). After some universal and […]
Forward Fuselage Gussets
An uneventful yet crucial part of the aircraft. The forward fuselage gussets. These were primed with the sills, and installed prior to the sills. Drilling these pieces was a bit of a hurdle, if I hadn’t mentioned that yet (see video) but installation was fairly straighforward.
Cockpit Sills, White Primer
Priming the cockpit sills has offered some perspective on the white priming process. The “gloss” white primer has been a difficult aspect of the build since introduced to the project. After various thinning and application techniques, I’ve come so some realizations. At times, I believe I was overthinning MEK, lacquer thinner, and acetone all provided […]
Aft Deck Completion
The completion of the aft deck was as satisfying as the initial fit. Again, this area just fit together beautifully, with all lines parallel, and the aft end of the piece lining up in every aspect with the aft bulkhead. Again, a testament to the kit quality, not necessarily the build or builder here.